Take Nothing with You into the Rift
by sarcasticallydelicious
Summary: Report Diana for trolling! Leona/Diana if you squint.


Expiate v. 1: to extinguish the guilt incurred by, 2: to make amends for

"So I've been wondering," Leona said nonchalantly, smacking a cannon minion with her shield, "where do you get these names you call me? Do you keep a list of every nasty thing you've ever thought about me or do you come up with them on the fly?"

Diana glared at her teammate for exactly 3.5 seconds, then slashed the hooded thing's throat. She relished the rush of strength that came with moving up one of the Rift's arbitrary levels. "Why are you talking to me? Can't we just finish this match in blessed silence?"

But of course they couldn't. She already had to deal with the incessant mutterings of her idiot summoner. Now she also had to listen to the Solari's nonsense.

What had possessed these morons to pair them on the same team, much less keep them fighting side by side for so long?

"I understand 'sanctimonious,' and "pious poser,'" Leona continued, "but how am I the Solari's puppet?"

This made Diana stop in her tracks. A sword minion swung at her, and she ignored it as it batted ineffectually at her arm. "That's the one you question? They control everything you do!"

"Um…guys?" Ezreal called over from across the line of minions. "Shouldn't you be dealing with these issues off the field?"

They turned simultaneously with matching glares. Ezreal raised his hands in a pacifying gesture and went back to sniping their magical meat shields.

"Not everything," Leona answered mildly, "joining the League was my decision alone."

Diana rolled her eyes. "What an astounding act of defiance. That totally makes up for all their crimes; they let their golden girl promote them on the biggest stage in Valoran."

Leona moved toward her, swinging at Diana's attacker. "Diana, what they did to you was inexcusable. But that doesn't mean that everything the Solari ever did was bad."

"Or maybe you simply think they aren't because you blind yourself to their wrongdoings."

 _Stop your bickering_ , Diana's summoner hissed at her. _We haven't seen Vi for since she backed, and you're sitting there taking needless damage from minions!_

Fighting back a sneer, Diana checked herself. She wouldn't admit it, but he was right. She could feel the nervous itch that came with low health. She should leave.

But apparently Leona's summoner wasn't being as vigilant.

"Diana, just because I'm not doing what you would in my situation doesn't make me blind. I failed you, I know that. But I'm not oblivious to the goings-on in the Solari."

Diana spun, stalking straight up to the Solari. "Yes, a fine argument! You missed their attempted murder, but you know all about the Grand Helios's sunbathing schedule!"

 _Diana, go back to base! Twitch is almost back in lane._

 _Shut up!_ Diana snapped back mentally.

She sauntered forward, continuing her verbal assault. "And good thing you were aware enough to catch Elder Cyrus's birthday party! You wouldn't want to be away from the mountain when something important happ-"

Diana lurched to the right, a massive metal fist smashing into her side.

"Diana!"

 _Diana, get out of there! Taric's almost back, and Twitch is –_

Diana set her feet, sword arm tensed. Vi stood stunned by the river, while Leona swung at Ezreal. He vanished, appearing a behind her. He looked Diana in the eye, gathering his magic in his oversized glove, only to be impaled by a spear of sunlight.

Diana called on the moon, pulling him toward her and inadvertently backing her attack with sunlight. The heat filled her for a split second, like sunlight beating down on the wrong side of her skin.

She shuddered.

"Hello there!" Twitch appeared behind Ezreal and spraying the field with crossbow bolts.

Ezreal phased back, and Diana charged after him.

She threw her power at him in an arc. Diana could feel the moonlight radiating back at her from where she'd hit him, purging her of that dreadful sunlight. It called, and she leapt to join it.

She felt no particular pleasure as her blade sunk into his body, or the pale plaything he used on the Fields of Justice. She hacked again, picturing instead the shiny git behind her, barely containing a grin.

He fell, the flickering gold light from his gauntlet completing her illusion.

"An ally has been slain!"

Diana turned just in time to see Twitch let out a resonating "Noooooooooo!" spin in a circle, and fall on his back with a paw clutching his heart. Vi turned and sprinted back up the river, shrugging off Leona's strikes.

Unable to catch the fleeing brawler, Leona rounded on Diana.

"What was that?" Leona's eyes blazed, all righteous indignation. "If you'd just left when they'd told you to Twitch would have been fine! Instead we were trying to keep them off you, and you just charged in, and-"

She was acting like Diana had killed her pet poro, and Diana wasn't going to have it. "So you fly into a rage when that crazy rodent gets to play-act being dead in this farce for combat, but you ignore actual murders committed by your own people?"

Leona stabbed her sword into the ground, stalking forward until she was nose to nose with Diana. Diana could feel the heat coming off of her in waves. "Would you rather I be like you? Killing any who oppose me in the name of truth and justice?"

Diana tossed her head, matching the sun champion's heat with a cold glare. "Are you that terrified of being on your own that you'd rather align yourself with those short-sighted, close-minded zealots?"

"Who am I without them?" the Solari roared. "A corpse in a ditch on Mount Targon, whose one contribution to this world was making a Rakkor boy die a little later! They gave me a life, a mission, a purpose! What am I if they are a bunch of spiteful bigots?"

Diana's lip curled. "You're an idiot, that's what you are. You are the chosen of the sun, not the chosen of the Solari! It is them who need you, not you who need them! Why can't you see that?"

"I owe them!" Leona took a step back, practically shaking. "They are the sun's people, and all the guidance I have! I'd be lost without them!"

Diana's sneer only grew. "Maybe the sun gave you all the guidance you needed, and you just haven't been listening. You're good at that."

Leona glared back at her for a long moment. Finally, she closed her eyes and clenched her jaw, taking a few deep breaths. She sagged visibly and turned to reclaim her sword.

Diana strode back to the turret and activated her recall.

She heard the Leona clomping up behind her. Why the woman wore heels to a battlefield – even a fake one like this – she would never understand.

"You owe them nothing." She said as the recall magic took hold of her. "Remember that."

"Diana." Leona paused, taking a long breath. "Thank you. I'll…I'll think on that."

Diana tried to turn, but all she turned to was the stone barrier between their game field and the real world. She stood for a moment.

And then her summoner was back in her ear, badgering her to buy her Blasting Wand and get back out there already. She shot back a retort, and headed out.


End file.
